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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. kid — child
  3. track — to keep track
  4. land — ground
  5. cell — a phone
  6. rock — music
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. rock — a stone
  9. land — a country
  10. cell — in biology
  11. track — a path
  12. rule — government
  13. pit — in a race
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kick — in football
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. land — to come down
  20. track — a song
  21. pit — a hole
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. rule — to rule out

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com